The present invention was conceived after the inventor observed the use of copier machines by general office personnel. It was noticed that users were generally very careless with the way in which staples and paper clips were discarded around the copier machines. Frequently, staples and paper clips would be allowed to remain on the machines and would engage themselves into the cracks and crevices of the machine(s) as a result of everyday use of the machine(s) because of machine vibrations, being dragged by paper handling, and the like. Metallic members such as staples and paper clips, for example, can cause serious and expensive damage and/or shut-downs to the machines, such as scratching the copier glass, damage to the copier belt or drums, and/or damage to the intricate electrical circuits and wiring thereof.
The inventor noted office workers at various times attempting to retrieve the harmful or dangerous objects using pencils, pens and/or other sharp objects which themselves could cause irreparable and/or serious damage to the machines and/or parts thereof. Such efforts normally and usually were futile and unsuccessful, the metallic objects usually being stuck in a crack and crevice totally inaccessible by use of crude instruments such as writing pens and pencils and screw drivers in efforts to merely drag the object to some other location hopefully less threatening and/or damaging.
The inventor thereupon began exploring ways to perform such recovery task by a safer and more successful and less potentially damaging route, by considering and trying alternative novel recovery instruments. While a long magnetic rod or screwdriver mounting a magnet were considered, problems of too large and/or too powerful a magnet and/or difficulties of mounting the same as to remain sufficiently small as to be accessible to such above-noted metallic objects and to involve secure mounting and to avoid high cost of production and resulting high sales prices thwarted such approaches.
Moreover, a mere magnetized screwdriver would inevitably result in damage to copier machine sensitive parts and/or surfaces as a result of hazardous use of the sharp-edged screwdriver blade, as well as such sharp blade if magnetized, not being sufficiently conductive as to effectively engage and drag such lodged or jammed metallic objects from the machine(s).
Another unsuccessful option considered and tried was the mounting of a magnet onto a brush handle typically like a paint brush and its handle. Two or more problems arose, such as difficulty and lack of success in the mounting of a magnet efficiently and securely to such type handle, and typical magnets having abrasive edges that themselves would be hazardous as to potential damage to the above-noted sensitive and/or dangerous parts or elements of the copier machine, as well as being too bulky to fit easily in the required cracks and crevices of the machines. The potential overcoming of the above-noted problems with such approaches involved prohibitive expense that would render the sales price completely unrealistic and unsatisfactory commercially.
Thus, a notorious problem encountered by users of office copying machines preparatory to copying papers held together with staples and/or paperclips, is the careless placing of removed staples and paperclips which too frequently fall into the inner works of the copying machine with resulting jamming and/or marring of soft or sensitive surfaces, drums, wheels or the like. Resulting from such notorious accidents, are ruined drums, jammed wheels and/or chains and/or belts or the destruction thereof, together with shut-down time. Frequently, such paperclips or removed staples have fallen into inaccessible locations, but which if removed promptly and/or easily could prevent expensive shut-down time-delays and/or damage to the copier inner works. Similar problems occur with mechanical and electrical typewriters, and with computer or word-processor key boards. Heretofore, no adequate nor suitable simple and/or inexpensive device or equipment has existed for preventative maintenance such as the making possible easy and prompt removal of paperclips and/or staples that have fallen into inaccessible locations prior to their causing major and/or irreparable damage or injury to soft and/or sensitive inner parts of the copier machine or the like. Also, frequently the inaccessible locations are very small or have narrow space between or adjacent inner parts, preventing large and/or cumbersome tools or pliers or tweezers or the like from being utilized successfully in the limited-dimension space available. Magnetic tools of the type represented by the above-noted prior art provide typically too large and cumbersome tools, as well as having sharp corners and/or edges which like a screw driver readily could result in major damage to revolving rolls, drums, gears, wheels and/or belts thereon that support and carry the paper within the copy machine works. Likewise, mere brushes heretofore have achieved little to remedy the problems above-noted, a brush alone carrying the hazard of merely pushing the paperclip or open staple into a less susceptable location and/or causing it to become more tightly lodged. Also, for distant inaccessible locations of fallen metallic objects such typically as nuts, screws, paperclip, open staples and the like, short and/or large bodied tools fail to provide any viable possibilities for successful and/or easy removal by the unexperienced typical mere user of a copying machine. Also, prior existing instruments, including also pliers with elongated clamping ends, require maneuvering space for the tool as well as for the hand, normally also the presence of the hand in operation thereof blocking the view of the object to be removed. With prior devices there exists the further hazard of the end thereof becoming lodged among inner parts and/or pulling-off or breaking-off within the machine, thereby adding further complications.